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This Is It delivers
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Michael Jackson fans all over the world were given the opportunity last Wednesday to get a glimpse into his long-awaited concert that unfortunately failed to materialise as a result of his sudden and tragic passing in June.
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'This Is It would have been a series of 50 shows across London, starting in July, but when the King of Pop passed, tour director Kenny Ortega decided to make the rehearsals - which were recorded for Jackson's personal library - into a documentary film.
It offers Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for the sold-out concerts that would have been staged at London's O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April to June 2009, the film is drawn from more than 100 hours of footage and captures the singer, dancer, film-maker, creative genius and great artist in unedited and candid detail.
The film portrays Jackson as a dedicated entertainer and performer, but it also humanises him. Fans get to see him laugh and give jokes that made others laugh. It brings home the fact that he was just like you and me and makes one believe, even for a brief moment, that he is still alive.
Laced with hits like Billie Jean, Thriller and I Just Can't Stop Loving You, This is it gives fans a treat as they can sing along and step outside themselves to observe the greatness that was Michael Joseph Jackson. The 112-minute film confirms in our minds that, from a musical point of view, the Michael Jackson of 2009 was the same as the Michael Jackson who dominated the 1980s.
At age 50, and despite all the speculation about his health, the world-renowned artiste was able to keep up with dancers half his age, demonstrating how much of a talented entertainer he was.
Most critics probably expected little more than a ghoulish glimpse into the troubled pop star's last days before his unexpected death, but even the most severe critic will find himself tapping his feet, bobbing his head and perhaps even clapping during This Is It, an exuberant tribute to Jackson's unsurpassed musical legacy.
Indeed, the only revelation that emerges from the film is how alert and engaged Jackson appears throughout his rehearsals. Limber and lucid, he executes every signature dance move with the confidence and precision of an artiste half his age, showing no sign of any ill effects from the various painkillers and other medications to which he was allegedly addicted.
Not only does This Is It show the vast preparation which takes place for a production of that magnitude, but it also shows Jackson as a perfectionist with a meticulous ear and a clear vision for the look, feel and sound of the tour. This is displayed in his critique of each performance's detail, whether it is a dance move, a band member's guitar string arrangement or when a cue is to be given.
Fans who watch This Is It, will also be blown away by Jackson's amazing vocal abilities.
Michael Jackson always said that he wished he could live on stage, and in this recently released tribute, there isn't a moment when he looks less than comfortably at home there. The legendary musician is probably one of only a handful of musical performers who could make rehearsing for a show just as exciting as seeing the real thing. In This Is It Jackson may not be singing and dancing to his full ability in some scenes, but even at half-speed he proves why his talent has spanned generations.
No matter what you feel about Jackson as a person, because of the controversy that has surrounded him most of his adult life, there's no denying what a great showman he was when the spotlight hit him and the music started pumping through the speakers. He was a perfectionist; a man possessed with the need to entertain.
It's the hindsight of knowing what happened to Jackson that helps make This Is It such a powerful and ever-lasting experience. The King of Pop may be dead, but his legacy will live on.
This is It is suitable for the whole family to watch and is definitely worth seeing over and over again. Catch it at Palace cinemas and relive the legend in his final moments. This is It will be in theatres for a limited time of only two weeks.
Five stars
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